From GazetteOnline.com:

Republicans note that the party that holds the White House generally loses ground in the first midterm election as voters suffer a bit of buyer’s remorse. But McCarthy disagreed, arguing there will be 100 separate elections decided by local issues and the connections the candidates have to their community.

“Everything is about individual candidates and individual races,” said McCarthy. “That’s far more effective than trying to nationalize these campaigns. We’ve tried that before and it hasn’t worked.”

McKinley noted, however, that control of the Legislature inevitably comes down to a handful of hard-fought races, usually decided by narrow margins. In that environment the larger political climate can make a difference, even if it only sways a small percentage of voters, he said.

“Of course they’re saying that climate doesn’t make a difference,” said McKinley. “That’s what I’d be saying if I were in their position to play down the mess they’ve made of things. Absolutely, climate makes a difference.”

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